My Winter Capsule Wardrobe + How I’ll Transition in the Spring

Inside: Here you’ll find an inside look at my winter capsule wardrobe and which pieces are transitioning with me into my spring capsule wardrobe

I don’t know about you, but during this quarantine I’ve pretty much been wearing the same eight articles of clothing on repeat all week long. If I make it out of my pajama pants before noon, you know it’s a productive day.

We’ve been under an official Shelter in Place order for a week now, but we’ve been following recommendations to stay home for well over two now. There are now even whisperings that Michigan schools will remain closed for the rest of the year. In the words of Jim Halpert from The Office, “Lord, beer me strength.”

I started writing this article well before the quarantine. When there was still snow on the ground, and the thought of shutting down the world wasn’t on anyone’s radar. Yet, here we are. It won’t last forever friend. It might feel like it will, but it won’t.

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. ” —John Lennon

In the meantime, I’m going to share the pieces that made up my capsule wardrobe this last winter and how I plan to transition that same wardrobe as the weather warms up. I do not have four different seasonal wardrobes. Much of what I wear, I wear all year long.

What You Won’t Find

This capsule wardrobe reveal isn’t like other capsule wardrobe posts floating around Pinterest. You won’t find a bunch of affiliate links or trending “must have” minimalist pieces. In fact, some of my tops are actually older than my children. You know, not quite vintage, but much too old to find in stores.

Here’s a list of items in my cool weather capsule wardrobe.

• 3 Pairs of shoes
• 4 Sets of pants
• 5 T-shirts
• 4 Long sleeve button up tops
• 8 Tops/sweaters
• 1 Black camisole
• 1 Light jacket
• 1 Black cardigan
• 2 Sweatshirts (one hoodie, one cardigan)
• 1 School spirit jacket
• 1 Pair of earings (worn everyday for the last 15 years)
• 1 Necklace
• 1 Winter coat

= 33 items.

My hope is that this inside look at my winter capsule wardrobe will help you confidently move into the next season, daring to cut back just a little bit more. I’ve also labeled the items that will transition with me into my spring wardrobe under “Spring.”

Spoiler alert: Twenty-four of these thirty-three items will also be a part of my spring capsule wardrobe, baring any unforeseen clothing casualties. Ok, let’s get started.

Shoes

Above: Sperry Saltwater Quilted Duck boots, Sorel Tofino II winter boots and Kenzie Gerona Ankle Boots.

Spring: Both the duck boots and the ankle boots will become a part of my spring capsule wardrobe. I will also add grey Sperry Boat Shoes as well as my favorite Birkenstocks. I can’t WAIT for Birkenstock weather.

School Spirit

Go Pilgrims!

Spring: I coach my son’s soccer team, so this is an all weather piece.

Tops

These were my two most frequently worn outfits during the winter months. If you know me in real life then you might even be sick of seeing me in them. #sorrynotsorry.

Above: Red and black Lucky Brand thin flannel from TJMaxx. Teal flannel from American Eagle (Which is quite old and was actually a hand me down from a friend), charcoal and heather grey Universal Thread t-shirts from Target.

Spring: Both t-shirts as well as the teal American Eagle flannel.

Above: That black and white J-Crew floral t-shirt has been with me for over 10 years. In fact, I even wore it to my son’s first birthday party. She’s seen better days and is hanging on by a thread, but I’ll enjoy that favorite shirt as long as possible. She pairs nicely with most of my button ups and cardigans. The chambray shirt is from Target and matches every shirt I own.

Spring:Both pieces.

Above: Heather gray t-shirt from Target and green button up from Aerie.

Spring: Both of these tops will be in my spring capsule wardrobe.

Above: Lace and Grace Washed Tencel Cargo Jacket  I just love this lightweight jacket. It goes with everything!

Spring: This jacket is a permanent piece of my capsule wardrobe during every season.

Includes: Silk peach blouse from a boutique in Scottsdale, Az. I don’t remember the name of it.

Spring: This silk blouse will remain a permanent piece in all of my capsule wardrobe.

Inside: Black dressy-ish shirt from Banana Republic.

Spring: This shirt is a permanent piece during every season.

Includes: Top: Cardigian sweatshirt from Evereve. Bottom: Hoodie sweatshirt from Glik’s.

Spring: These sweatshirts are year round peices.

Includes: In an effort to make this post relatively concise, I just stacked these five tops for one photo. Also (mostly) because they were a little too wrinkly to photograph well. Keeping it real. Three of these tops are ten-years-old or more from J-Crew. The other two are from American Eagle and Pieces in Germantown, Nashville.

Spring: The orangish shirt will be a part of my spring capsule wardrobe. The dark green one was rarely worn and will be donated.

Pants

Includes: The jeans with holes are really old, but so comfortable. For the record, those are holes I created, not the Lucky factory. The other two jeans are from American Eagle and the green pants are from Target.

Spring: All four pairs of pants will be a part of my spring capsule wardrobe.

Inside: The green top is from Pieces in Germantown, Nashville, TN. The sweater is from American Eagle.

Spring: The green top will possibly remain a part of my spring wardrobe. However, if it warms up really quickly I’ll eliminate it.

Not Pictured: Black cardigan, black camisole and charcoal grey Universal Thread v-neck t-shirt.

Dress clothes:

I do not include dress clothes in my capsule wardrobe because my life rarely to almost never requires them. I do keep one pair of dress pants, two dress shirts and a few dresses on hand for things like weddings, holidays, funerals, occasional fancy events and speaking engagements. 

Seasonal Declutter

There you have it. I should point out that a couple of these tops were worn very little this winter. Even with just 33 articles of clothing, 20% of my pieces were worn 80% of the time!

I’ve always found the best time to declutter your closet is during the transition into a new season. After taking a good look at what you wore, and didn’t wear, you’ll be able to confidently let go of more.

Project 333 the Book

If you’re looking for more capsule wardrobe inspiration check out the newly released book, Project 333 by my friend Courtney Carver, founder of BeMoreWithLess.com and Project 333. It’s an excellent resource!

I’d also suggest you listen to episode #201 on the the Simple Families Podcast by Denaye Barahona PhD. Here you’ll learn more about the minimalist fashion challenge, Project 333 and listen in as Courtney Carver walks a listener through creating her first capsule wardrobe.

For more capsule wardrobe inspiration from Abundant Life with Less read:

A Simple Approach to Building a Capsule Wardrobe for Kids

5 Practical Tips For Maintaining a Capsule Wardrobe For Kids + A Sneak Peak at Mine

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